Holding the Line

Here at Status, we’ve spent these 100 days doing what we do best: holding the most powerful in the media and Washington accountable—both to the public and to their own stated principles.

We’ve reported on the buckling inside The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times; we’ve exposed the pressure campaign on "60 Minutes" under Shari Redstone; we’ve shined a light on the MAGA Media mouthpieces given special access to the White House; we’ve uncovered Disney boss Bob Iger's blunt assessment of Trump’s tariff war. And we’re the only outlet that’s gone to court to seek the public release of internal materials from Fox News over its promotion of dangerous election lies.

Status exists to shine a light on the press itself—at a time when press freedom is under direct threat. Just yesterday, Reporters Without Borders announced that the state of press freedom in the U.S. has fallen to a record low, warning of an "alarming deterioration” that is "indicative of an authoritarian shift in government,” putting America on par with the likes of Hungary, Uruguay and the Congo.

That chill is extending across the country. Trump’s Federal Communications Commission chair is targeting media outlets the president has long assailed, Kari Lake is working to silence the Voice of America and other U.S.-backed broadcasters. And Trump just moved to end all federal funding for NPR and PBS, a move PBS president Paula Kerger denounced as “blatantly unlawful." At the same time, the White House launched a taxpayer-funded propaganda site. And it won’t stop there.

That’s why we do this work. To scrutinize not just the administration, but the billionaires, media executives, and institutions that decide how—or if—the truth gets told.

With gratitude,

Jon Passantino
Executive editor, Status